1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed invention relates to the computerized control of a pumping system that permits automatic monitoring and subsequent on demand removal of fluids.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Several different pumps are available to pump oil and water. The most widely used method for pumping oil is by using a pump jack (beam pump) connected to rods and tubings. Methods using air to propel fluids to the surface are airlift pumps, compressed air centrifugal pumps, and air pumps which require pressures sufficient to overcome the hydrostatic head of the fluid in the hole.
Pump jacks are relatively expensive, bulky, and because of the weight of the unit, a crane or hoist is necessary when the unit is installed, removed, and serviced. Usually, these units are powered by electric motors, and the efficiency of lifting oil by this unit in the field is very low, usually less than one percent.
The air lift system is simple in use, but it depends on the relative densities of fluid and/or air-fluid mixture and for deeper wells, the required pressure and volume of air is quite large. In addition, the air in this system often emulsifies the oil. A typical airlift system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 759,706. Anthony et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,087 also discusses a very complicated air operated pump, where compressed gas or air in the range of 25-350 PSI is utilized with a large float to cause the pump to force the fluid up a tube. This complicated construction is obviously quite expensive.
Air pumps have been designed such that the fluid passes through a ball valve located on the bottom of the pump tank. U.S. Pat. No. 919,416 to Boulicault and Japanese Pat. No. 5681299 by Nakayama discuss such a system with an air tube connected to the top of the tank and a fluid discharge tube extending to the bottom of the tank. After the tank fills with fluid flowing through the bottom ball valve, air pressure is applied to the air tube which closes the bottom valve and forces the contents of the fluid up the discharge tube. If the fluid level is several hundred feet or more above the pump, considerable air pressure is necessary to overcome the hydrostatic level of the fluid to close the bottom valve and even greater pressure is required to force the fluid to the surface. McLean et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,319 employs a similar method with the addition of a ball valve in the fluid discharge tube to prevent the fluid in the discharge line from returning to pump tank. This unit requires rather large air pressure to elevate fluid from deeper wells. In column 3 of their patent, they state that full discharge will occur from any depth within range of 0 to 300 feet. At a depth of 1,000 feet below the top of the fluid, a pressure of about 460 PSI and a large air volume will be required to discharge water from that borehole.
Although progress has been made in the apparatus to pump oil or water from a borehole, the systems generally operate on a timed basis, pumping whether or not oil or water is present. This places increased wear on the apparatus as well as uses valuable energy. The prior art systems require a pumper to visit onsite to verify that the system is working properly. Further, prior art systems have not provided the safety measures that are important to protect our environment. The instant disclosure provides a computerized system that controls and monitors the pumping and storage apparatus of multiple wells to provide on demand pumping. The monitoring capabilities further provide safety features that help to prevent oil leaks or thefts, while using minimal running energy.